


Creature Comforts

by MaxRev



Series: Shenko Smut Thursday [4]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Lights go out, Shenko Smut Thursday, Smut, stormy night, stuck inside
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-07
Updated: 2018-06-07
Packaged: 2019-05-19 07:09:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14869076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaxRev/pseuds/MaxRev
Summary: Nothing better than being in a warm, dry house when it rains. Right?





	Creature Comforts

**Author's Note:**

> For [Shenko Smut Thursday ](https://spectrekaidanalenko.tumblr.com/) on Tumblr.

She stood, arms crossed in front of her, watching the rain stream down the windows in rivulets. An occasional flash of lightning lit up the world outside in outlines of shadows. It all looked alien to her, just as many of the planets the Normandy landed on throughout her Alliance career.

A sound came from behind her, arms clothed in soft, blue-checkered flannel pulling her backwards against a strong, warm chest. Velvety lips grazed her ear, a chin settling on her shoulder. Kaidan watched beside her as the storm raged outside. Both of them were safe and dry, the soft glow from a nearby lamp creating a cocoon of amber light around them.

“It’s really coming down out there, isn’t it?”

Marley snorted, “Thank you, Captain Obvious.”

“Heh...did I just get promoted?”

Turning around in his arms, a dark red brow arched upwards, “Maybe? I’ll have to see what kind of duties your new rank entails.”

Eyes crinkling at the corners, he smiled, “New duties, huh? Do I get a say in what they should be?”

Before she could answer him, the light from the lamp flickered - _off, on, off._ It didn’t come back on. A chill quickly moved through the room, the heat in the old house now gone as well.

“Well, isn’t that wonderful. Where’s the breaker box?”

“Uh...it’s outside.”

Marley grumbled, “Of course it is. So, what do we do now? Have any flashlights around here? Maybe some candles?”

The house was a fair distance from the main house the family orchard was on. This section of land hadn’t been worked in many years, long before the Reapers had come. The house was quite a bit older than the main house as well. Too much work for just his mom and dad, they’d done their best on just the rudimentary basics.

Marley and Kaidan had agreed to move in, fix it up, start working on the long neglected part of the orchard around it. Now here they were, storm raging outside, the weather cooling quickly, and with no electricity. Thankfully, the plumbing still worked and there were no leaks. _Yet._

“There might be some candles in a closet and we do have firewood. Do you want to get a fire started or look for candles? They should be down the hall. There’s a closet near the bathroom.”

Letting go a long sigh, “I’ll go look for the candles. Not sure I should be trusted with any fire larger than a candle flame.”

“True. Don’t want the house to burn down our first night here - even with the rain.”

Kaidan chuckled when she punched him in the arm, turning away to get a fire going. Marley lit up her omni-tool and walked down the hallway. There better be candles in that closet.

* * *

There were indeed candles. Several were now scattered over tables around the living room as well as a few on the mantle. There were even some on the bar style counter separating the kitchen and living room. The fire was going, flames burning brightly as the wood crackled and popped. Marley squatted in front to absorb the warmth as it slowly ate away at the chill in the room, though much too slowly in her opinion. Turning, she let the fire warm her backside.

From down the hall, Kaidan returned, arms loaded with blankets. He stopping suddenly and stared at the abundance of candles, “You...um...afraid of the dark Marley?”

She sputtered, “Wh-what? _No!_ I just wanted to be able to to find my way to the fridge if I need a snack and well...find my way to the bathroom, too, of course.”

Brown eyes twinkling with laughter, Kaidan wasn’t letting her off easy, “Who would’ve thought Commander Shepard, Savior of the Galaxy, was afraid of the dark?”

Nothing readily available to throw at him, Marley huffed in frustration. She was not afraid of the dark. Well, okay, maybe a bit. It was a little known fact. So little, she had only shared it with the man who stood before her. A regrettable action, she thought now.

“Go ahead and make fun, Alenko. You’ve got to sleep sometime.”

He was clearly not worried about her threat, sauntering past her, a sway in his hips as he tilted his head and smirked. Rolling her eyes, Marley snatched some blankets and laid them on the well worn couch next to a pile of pillows Grace had sent with them. If he continued to tease her, this would be where he slept.

“Is there a bed in this place? A decent one, maybe not eaten by bedbugs and other...creatures?” Marley hated bugs, too.

“End the war and suddenly the great Commander Shepard needs what...a soft mattress and 500 count thread sheets? No bugs to share it with? What happened to sleeping on the battlefield?”

Marley narrowed her eyes, “I think I've earned the right to a little comfort. I can tell you one thing,” she paused and Kaidan gazed at her, waiting, “I would love to know what happened to the shy, hesitant Major who used to be worried about speaking his mind...the one under my command.”

Giving her the signature smirk she both loved and hated, “Well...Commander Shepard always told me I had the right to speak my mind, no repercussions. Guess you could say I’m finally exercising that right.” Amber eyes darkened, voice turning husky, “And...I’m still... _under_...your command.”

Setting the rest of the blankets in front of the fireplace, he walked over to her. Hands settling on her hips, he leaned down, covering her mouth with his. _It had been so long_. Marley moaned at the sensation, opening to him. His tongue slid between her lips. She moved her hands up over the broad, muscular chest, around his neck, fingers sliding through the ends of silky black hair. God, how she’d missed being close to him like this. 

Pulling back, his eyes searched hers, “You sure about this? I don’t want to hurt you.”

He was such a gentleman but Marley felt she’d been coddled enough during recovery, what she wanted know was anything but. “Kaidan, I’m not made of glass.” When he opened his mouth to protest, she shut him up with a hot, passionate kiss. It was time to show him just how ready she was...how _hungry_ she was...for him.

Pulling back, settling his forehead against hers, “Want to find that bed...or stay here in front of the fire?”

Fearing what they might find in the bedroom would be worse than the ground of a battlefield, Marley whispered against his lips, “Here’s just fine.”

Kaidan turned to lay out a nest of blankets in front of the fire, Marley admiring the view from where she stood behind him. Before the last blanket settled, she walked up behind him, grasping a firm handful of what she’d been appreciating. A pleased hum slipped past her lips at the firmness.

“Damn, you have a fine ass.”

Straightening up and glancing over his shoulder, Kaidan raised an eyebrow, a tinge of pink across his cheekbones, “Eager, are you?”

She smirked in response, “Maybe.”

“Well, then _maybe_ I’ll just make you wait for it.”

Despite the threat, Marley saw it for the bluff it truly was. “Sure you will. You want this just as badly as I do.”

Eyes glittering with desire caught her own. One hand smoothed back the tendrils of hair that brushed her cheek. A kernel of doubt spread through her, wondering if he really would make her wait. Part of her wanted him to but most of her just wanted him _right now_.

Her hand reached up, tangling in the black, silky curls as she pulled him down for another hot, hungry kiss. If she distracted him, maybe he'd forget everything but giving her what she - what they - both really wanted. He moaned in response, teeth tugging at her full lower lip, followed softly by the glide of his tongue. The last time they'd been together had been the night before the Cerberus mission, then they'd returned to Earth. Marley needed him so much.

Angling her head to deepen the kiss, she opened to him, his tongue sliding inside her mouth, tasting, teasing. Pulling back to catch her breath, she resumed a path down his throat, opening the buttons of his shirt one-handed with impatience, searching for warm skin.

Kaidan gasped as her lips closed over a nipple, tugging at it gently with her teeth, soothing it with the swipe of her tongue. Deft fingers found the edge of skin between her shirt and jeans, tracing patterns back and forth. Grasping the hem of her shirt, he pushed it up, urging her to raise her arms so he could pull it off. Marley eagerly complied.

Kneeling on the blanket, he pulled her to lie down beneath him. His gaze scorched her skin wherever it touched and Marley was unable to catch her breath. She placed a hand against his face, thumb tracing across his cheekbone. It was almost impossible to believe they were here, finally.

“Shhhh, everything’s okay now. I’ve got you.” He always could read her like a book.

Slowly, with the utmost attention, his mouth moved over her body, one tantalizing inch at a time. It was enough to drive Marley to the edge - and they’d barely begun. Tugging on the zipper of her jeans, he started to push them down.

Marley panicked. Caught up as she had been in the moment, she’d forgotten the endless webwork of scars crisscrossing her body now. She would be laid bare before him, body damaged far beyond what it once had been. Would he want her anymore?

His hand slid up her body, gently cupped her face, “Do you trust me, Marley?”

She did. Completely. _But…_

He waited for an answer - not moving, not pushing. She nodded, finally. Leaning down, his lips met hers in a tender kiss that reawakened the fire inside. Pulling back, he pushed her jeans down as she lifted her hips to help out. In his eyes, all she could see was need, want...a fire that burned in their depths. She sucked in a breath.

Carefully, slowly, he began to worship her body...lips, tongue, and fingertips tracing endless patterns across her skin. Starting at her collarbone, his lips followed a trail down her chest, closing over a nipple, tongue flicking against it. In mere seconds, Marley was a writhing mess beneath him. How could she have ever doubted how he felt?

His attention didn’t stop, fingertips ghosting down her thighs, back up the insides of them. “Kaidan…” Marley couldn’t find the words, knew she needed him.

His hand moved to her center, thumb sliding back and forth. He made her delirious with sensation and she cried out in response. She wanted him to stop; _she wanted more_. Her thoughts were scattered and incoherent and shortly, she received a reprieve, whimpering as his touch faded away.

Marley watched him get up, making quick work of stripping out of his own clothes. _God, he was beautiful_. Sculpted muscles covered by bronze, velvety skin. Unable to resist, Marley reached out as he covered her with his body, relearning everything about him.

“I need you, Marley,” his whispered words chased away any lingering doubts she had.

Pulling her up, he let her set the pace. She straddled him, the heat of him driving her to distraction. Gripping his face with both hands, she leaned in for a kiss, pulling away to whisper against his lips, “ _I need you_.”

Reaching between them, he grasped himself, positioning himself against her. Slowly, she slid down, gasping as he filled her, tightly...completely.

The rhythm slow at first, it soon gathered in intensity, her arms draped over his shoulders, his hands sitting gently on her hips. She used the newly strengthened muscles of her thighs, thanks to endless PT, to slide up and down, overwhelmed by the heady sensations of him filling her.

Watching him through heavy-lidded eyes, she could see him come undone. Glittering eyes captured hers, the passion in them bringing her to the brink. “I... _Kaidan_ …”

“Yes, Marley…let go…” His words pushed her over the edge. A throaty moan followed as he joined her soon after.

They stayed like that for several moments, enjoying the closeness they’d missed for so long. Kaidan laid her down, grabbing the edge of a blanket to clean her. Reaching for another, he pulled it over them both, pulling her in tightly so they could snuggle.

“Won’t you be too hot?” His internal furnace always ran hot and they were next to the fireplace.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

“I love you.” She couldn’t remember if she’d ever told him that before, wanted to make sure he knew.

“I love you, too.”

The worries of the day, of the responsibility of what his parents had given them faded in the afterglow. Just as Marley felt herself begin to drift off, she felt something against her forehead. Eyes struggling to open, she fought against sleepiness to figure out what it was.

“Kaidan?”

“Mmm?” His sleepy voice drifted over her.

“Something just landed on my head.”

His eyes only opened half-way, not worried. "Marley, there are spiders and other bugs in the house. No, I won’t let them carry you off. Now...go to sleep.”

The sensation came again and Marley looked up, a drop of water hitting her squarely in the eye. “Seriously!”

Kaidan jerked completely awake, now clearly frustrated, “What now?”

She glared at him. “There's a leak right above my head. Your damn house peed on me!”

It took a long time for his laughter to die down.


End file.
